sysop@stech.UUCP (Jan Harrington) (09/28/88)
The prices for upgrading from a Mac II to a Mac IIx are out - the complete upgrade (PMMU, logic board, drive) runs around $3200, suggested retail. Ouch! There may be, however, and functional alternative for people like me who already have the PMMU. I was speaking to a technician at Dayna Communications yesterday and discovered that Dayna's 1.44 MS-DOS drive will not only read and write both 720K and 1.44 meg MS-DOS drives, but that it will also read and write Apple's superdrive format. Though the drive costs a couple hundred more (retail) than the Apple drive upgrade, the Apple drive will only read MS-DOS formats; it won't write them. (Since I already have a 360K DaynaFile, my cost would even be less, since I would be adding a drive without paying for the enclosure...) Comments? Jan Harrington, sysop Scholastech Telecommunications UUCP: husc6!amcad!stech!sysop or allegra!stech!sysop BITNET: JHARRY@BENTLEY ******************************************************************************** Miscellaneous profundity: "No matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Banzai ********************************************************************************
kateley@Apple.COM (Jim Kateley) (09/30/88)
In article <670@stech.UUCP> sysop@stech.UUCP (Jan Harrington) writes: >The prices for upgrading from a Mac II to a Mac IIx are out - the complete >upgrade (PMMU, logic board, drive) runs around $3200, suggested retail. >Ouch! You don't need the PMMU on the MacIIx. In fact, there is no socket for it. > >... >and write Apple's superdrive format. Though the drive costs a couple hundred >more (retail) than the Apple drive upgrade, the Apple drive will only read >MS-DOS formats; it won't write them. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It won't? The FDHD will read and write MS-DOS formatted disks, via Apple File Exchange. If you want specific file translation, you would need to purchase (or write) a translator. The FDHD is capable of doing both 1440K and 720K MS-DOS disks. > >Comments? > > >Jan Harrington, sysop >Scholastech Telecommunications >UUCP: husc6!amcad!stech!sysop or allegra!stech!sysop >BITNET: JHARRY@BENTLEY > Jim Kateley UUCP: {sun, voder, nsc, mtxinu, dual}!apple!kateley S,P,HnS! DOMAIN: kateley@apple.COM Applelink: kateley1 Disclaimer: What I say, think, or smell does not reflect any policy or stray thought by Apple Computer, Inc.
gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu (10/01/88)
Is it really true that the Apple superdrive won't WRITE MS-DOS
floppies -- it can only read them? Is this restriction in hardware?
If so, then I guess all these claims of "an open MAC architecture"
were merely lip-service, because Apple intends to keep a closed
architecture for as long as possible. The evil empire strikes again!
Don Gillies, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Illinois
1304 W. Springfield, Urbana, Ill 61801
ARPA: gillies@cs.uiuc.edu UUCP: {uunet,ihnp4,harvard}!uiucdcs!gillieskateley@Apple.COM (Jim Kateley) (10/02/88)
In article <76000288@p.cs.uiuc.edu> gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu writes: > >Is it really true that the Apple superdrive won't WRITE MS-DOS >floppies -- it can only read them? Is this restriction in hardware? > The FDHD can both read and write MS-DOS disks, using Apple File Exchange. I'm kind of confused as to why this became an issue, is there some sort of press release or product notice that says the FDHD will only read disks? Jim Kateley UUCP: {sun, voder, nsc, mtxinu, dual}!apple!kateley S,P,HnS! DOMAIN: kateley@apple.COM Applelink: kateley1 Disclaimer: What I say, think, or smell does not reflect any policy or stray thought by Apple Computer, Inc.
macak@lakesys.UUCP (Jim Macak) (10/02/88)
In article <76000288@p.cs.uiuc.edu> gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu writes: >Is it really true that the Apple superdrive won't WRITE MS-DOS >floppies -- it can only read them? Is this restriction in hardware? >If so, then I guess all these claims of "an open MAC architecture" >were merely lip-service, because Apple intends to keep a closed >architecture for as long as possible. The evil empire strikes again! Sheesh, how long is this rumor going to be perpetuated?!? Here is the correct info, straight from Apple's press release: ----- Floppy Disk High Density (FDHD) Apple's new FDHD floppy disk drive can store 1.44MB of data on a 3.5-inch floppy disk. Along with the new controller chip, (SWIM, for Super Wozniak Integrated Machine) the drive can also read, write and format 400K and 800K disks from existing Macintosh computers and read files created under Apple II ProDOS operating system. The FDHD can also read and write 3.5-inch MS-DOS or OS/2 diskettes, and with the help of Apple File Exchange (part of System 6.0.2) shipped with the Macintosh IIx, can transfer files to Macintosh disks. The new drive supports both 720KB and 1.44MB formats. Many leading Macintosh applications can already read and write many of the popular MS-DOS file formats. A Microsoft Excel file, for instance, can read and write the .WKS format used by Lotus 1-2-3. Apple File Exchange, when used in conjunction with any of the available third-party translators, helps translate many of the other popular MS-DOS files into their Macintosh counterparts. Thus, users can take WordPerfect files from their Zenith portables and convert them to Word 3.0 documents on their Macintosh IIx. The 1.44MB FDHD will also be available as an upgrade for Macintosh II owners later this year. ----- To repeat (in case anyone missed it: "The FDHD can also read and write 3.5-inch MS-DOS or OS/2 diskettes..." I hope this settles clarifies the confusion. Jim -- >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Jim --> macak@lakesys.UUCP (Jim Macak) {Standard disclaimer, nothin' fancy!} >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Mark_Peter_Cookson@cup.portal.com (10/04/88)
So this means that us Mac+ users and all the SE and 512/128K users can't use this new drive? That is a bummer. Why can't anyone but a Mac II use the new "wonder drive"? Mark Cookson